nPower has enlisted the help of the celebrity northern chefs the Hairy Bikers to help promote the nPower Cook Book and open their new Sunderland offices.

Although the new office complex, which will house some 2,000 employees and is based at Rainton Bridge, won’t open until September, it was too good an opportunity to miss and the touring Hairy Bikers dropped in to see the new offices and the nPower Cook Book.

The nPower Cook Book is part of the company’s commitment to bring the FIFA World Cup 2018 to England. nPower is an official supporter of the campaign and have teamed up with the celebrity biker chefs who are well known football fans.

The nPower Cook Book is based on recipes from the 32 countries taking part in the current World Cup and each one of the recipes is focused on their energy efficiency when being prepared. The energy efficient recipes range from Slovenian Baked Mushrooms, to England’s Steak and Ale Pie. It is all part of the company’s smartpower initiative.

An employee of the energy giant, Gary Doig, said of the visit by the TV chefs Si King and Dave Myers and the nPower cook book:
“I’m a huge fan of the Hairy Bikers, so I was over the moon to meet the pair. They spent time chatting to everyone in the office and gave us some helpful cooking tips too! It was quite surreal to see two guys off the telly stood next to my desk, but they were really funny and we were all really excited to have them here.”

The hairy bikers, as well as tasting dishes made from the nPower Cook Book, made on the day in the office complex restaurant, enjoyed their visit:

Si King said:
“It was great to visit nPower’s offices just days after a big England match – everyone was in great spirits from the footie and from their brand new surroundings. It made a nice change to spend the day back home in the North East, and tuck into some grub that had been made for us! The pie was almost as good as our own steak & ale pie recipe in the nPower cook book.”

Mike Myers chipped in with:
“We’re massive football fans and think it’s fantastic that nPower has come up with a way of getting everyone excited about enjoying the football and doing their bit for the planet at the same time.”

The nPower cook book rated dishes as their energy efficiency in their preparation and awarded each dish a rating from one to five stars. A one star was the most efficient and for example, the Algerian couscous dish got this top rating. The Blue Cheesecake recipe from the US got three stars and England’s Steak and Ale Pie got an unfortunate five stars.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Fans of the Wallace and Gromit TV adverts will be delighted to know that a new version has been filmed in support of the Back the Bid 2018 campaign which hopes to see England host the FIFA World Cup in 2018.

The new Wallace and Gromit npower TV advert is entitled the Hand of Dog and harks back to a miserable moment in English football history when Argentina footballer Diego Maradona ‘handled’ the ball into the back of the net for a deciding goal. The moment was captured in footballing culture when Maradona claimed it was the Hand of God which had steered him. But the Hand of God put paid to England’s chances in the 1986 World Cup.

The latest Wallace and Gromit npower TV advert sees the Oscar winning characters gain revenge for a footballing injustice felt just as keenly by most fans today as back in 1986.

The Wallace and Gromit npower TV advert is based on the two perpetual entrepreneurs trying to profit at the 2018 tournament with a pie-making business called ‘WAG’s Pies Ltd’. But things go wrong when Wallace’s invention, a pie delivery machine which is central to the whole business idea, goes wrong and a rogue pie threatens a match.

Developed by advertising agency VCCP and the lovable character creators Aardman Animations, the 30-second long Wallace and Gromit npower TV advert will be shown on national TV. A longer, 40-second version, which also includes the immortal 1966 World Cup line, “They think it’s all over…it is now!” has been created exclusively for online use.

Kevin Peake, marketing director at npower, said:

“We believe a successful bid to stage the FIFA World Cup in England would be fantastic for the country – and particularly for Britain’s businesses. We’re already committed to helping our business customers save money by saving energy; Wallace and Gromit illustrate, in their fun and endearing way, how hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2018 could also benefit businesses’ revenue.”

Lucy Wendover, marketing manager at Aardman Animations, said:

“We have enjoyed working on the npower adverts so far which focus on Wallace and Gromit’s approach to energy efficiency, but it’s been especially exciting for us to take them into the world of football and, as usual, see Gromit saving the day.”

The Wallace and Gromit npower TV advert is part of npower’s role as Official Sponsor of England’s 2018 World Cup bid.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Businesses now regard energy as big a risk as health and safety say a new report from npower.

The annual survey, called npower’s Business Energy Index and which tracks business opinion on energy use and carbon emissions, revealed that energy was rated six out of ten when it comes to the risks it places on a business. This is second only to the risk posed by cashflow problems, or possible litigation problems.

Indeed, for some companies that are major energy users, it can even outweigh possible cashflow and legal problems.

Delving down a little further, the survey discovered that considerations about energy have multiplied in the last three years. And the two most worrisome aspects are supply costs and security of supply.

Dave Cockshott, corporate markets director at npower, said:
“The way in which energy is used is changing rapidly and businesses are facing new pressures all the time. Price volatility; carbon reduction; climate change legislation; reputation and security of supply are now among the chief concerns that businesses face in their energy use, many of which have increased exponentially in the last five years. It’s making it increasingly important that energy is managed with the same priority and detail as all other risks businesses face – it can no longer be a secondary consideration.”

Cockshott also highlighted the fact that only 4% of those companies questioned saw their credit rating as a risk to their energy supply, even though that this can have a great bearing on the price of their energy contract.

He said:
“Poor credit ratings resulting from the recession have in some instances led to tighter payment terms, restricted forward purchasing and even security deposits. Key to avoiding this is information sharing so more accurate decisions on companies’ financial health can be made and npower has been calling on collaboration between energy users, suppliers and insurers to achieve this.”

But it has amazed npower that given the rise in the energy worries that companies night be experiencing, it would appear that the strategies in place for coping with the risk are fess than developed than other areas.

Cockshott put in this plea:
“We believe energy now demands board level attention and a combined strategy that brings together purchasing and energy use. We’re working with businesses to achieve this and support them with the tools and tactics to better manage their energy, but it’s down to them to make energy a priority within their organisation.”

Guest Article by Neil Camp